Boyfriend threatens to leave if partner doesn't sign over 50% of their company. 4 days later, he realized he'd messed up
The owner had been building their small business for five years, two years before they got together with their partner
Being both romantic and business partners can only work when both sides have strong communication skills, shared goals, and distinct roles, but it can also turn sour if boundaries are crossed. In one instance, a Reddit user shared the story in a now-deleted post about how their partner wanted to get an equal split of a company they had built for over five years, with no actual contribution. The author and their partner have been together for 3 years and moved in together a year ago. However, the author had been building their small business prior to meeting their partner — and thankfully so.
It only started taking off two years into their relationship, but their partner knew how much time and hard work it took to build the business from scratch. At some point, their partner requested to be brought into the company formally with a 50-50 ownership. To clarify: they did not ask to be an employee or a co-owner but wanted an equal split. Seems less than fair, right?
The author did not immediately reject the request, and they were open to considering it if their partner was willing to take "real operational responsibility." However, much to the Reddit user's surprise, their partner responded saying, "They already contribute by supporting me [the Reddit user] emotionally and being flexible around my schedule." Keeping personal hurt aside, the post's author pointed out that their partner was not directly contributing to the business in this way, and over the course of a few weeks, this discussion had turned into a bigger issue.
Eventually, the partner gave the author an ultimatum. They told the author that if they were not willing to give them 50-50 ownership, it meant they did not see a future with them. They also highlighted the fact that if they were not "willing to build something together," then they were merely a guest in the author's life. This was the final straw for the author. "I said okay and told them I needed them to start looking for somewhere else to go. They were shocked. Genuinely did not expect me to take them at their word," they wrote.
When the partner realized how serious the author was, they tried to take their word back and explain. The author revealed that their partner had been living at their sister's house for four days, and had sent them three lengthy messages about how they chose their business over a "real" connection.
Blurring personal and professional boundaries can quickly lead to conflict. Forbes conducted a survey and found that 17% of couples worry about breaking up, which causes them anxiety. 50% reported that their sense of professionalism is gone, 54% revealed that having a workplace romance affected their work-life balance, and 57% said that their relationship affected their work performance.
Although the original post has been removed by the moderator on Reddit, the comments remain, and most people supported the author. u/Organic_Client_5679 wrote, "This is the definition of FAFO. You are not a jerk in any way. That's some entitled thinking on their part. 50% for 'supporting you emotionally' and 'working around your schedule'? If they had agreed to take on some operational responsibility, I still wouldn't do a 50/50 split, considering you started and nurtured the business on your own. You did the right thing." u/pointandclickit sarcastically added, "But you don't understand. They were really entitled to half for *checks notes* being a halfway decent partner and human."
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